Germany: Man drives through crowd in deliberate attack on foreigners

Western German: A 50-year-old man has ploughed his car into a crowd of people, injuring at least four. Authorities say it was an intentional attack on foreigners. Those injured included Syrian and Afghan citizens, and some were seriously injured.

Muenster police said he first tried to hit a group of people in the city of Bottrop shortly after midnight, however the pedestrians were able to jump out of the way to safety. He then drove into the centre of Bottrop where he slammed his car into a crowd.

The 50-year-old driver, whose name was not released, made anti-foreigner comments during his arrest.

“The man had the clear intention to kill foreigners,” Herbert Reul, the top security official in North Rhine-Westphalia state, was quoted as saying by the German news agency dpa.

An earlier statement from police and prosecutors said: “Investigators suspect it was a deliberate attack that may be linked to the xenophobic views of the driver. In addition, investigators have preliminary information about a mental illness of the driver.”